TIGER TALK August 18,2017 Volume 12 Issue 1

A NEWSLETTER FOR OUR TIMBERCREST FAMILY

http://schools.volusia.k12.fl.us/timbercrest

SCHOOL SECURITY INFORMATION FROM MR. TIDMARSH Dear Parents/Guardians, Every student, faculty, staff and family member’s safety is a very important aspect of creating a positive learning environment here at Timbercrest Elementary. Practicing fire drills and code drills are an important part of our school’s preparation for emergency situations. Below are brief descriptions of the fire drills and code drills we practice throughout the school year. In the event you are on campus while we are conducting a drill, we ask that you participate and cooperate with our school’s security team. In the event we should ever evacuate our school’s students, faculty and staff, we would relocate to Galaxy Middle School. We have an agreement with both Galaxy Middle School and Deltona Lakes Elementary, our alternate evacuation site should Galaxy Middle School be unavailable. Both facilities are prepared to house our students, faculty and staff until proper dismissal takes place.

Drills Fire Drill- Two fire drills are performed during the first two weeks of school. We will perform one drill a month for the remainder of the school year. Classrooms are evacuated, checked and all students are accounted for before the “All Clear” signal is given and students, faculty and staff resume their normal daily activities. Code Red- A Code Red drill is performed to practice for an emergency situation involving weapons/hostages. Our campus would go into a “Lock Down” until the crisis is resolved. Our campus will perform a Code Red Level 2 in the emergency event of an active shooter. Code Blue- A Code Blue drill is performed to practice for an emergency situation involving a “Bomb Threat” or suspicious package. All would remain in their locations until a sweep of the campus was completed and the need to evacuate was substantiated. Code Green- A Code Green is performed to practice for an emergency situation involving severe weather/tornado. All have been instructed to move to a safe zone and be prepared to assume the protective position as far away from doors and windows as possible should it be needed. Code Yellow- A Code Yellow is performed to practice for an emergency situation involving Hazmat/Toxic Spill. All A/C units would be turned off. All persons out of doors would be brought inside until the area had been inspected and it is deemed safe to give the “All Clear”.

Timbercrest Elementary Evacuation Procedures In the event we evacuate from Timbercrest Elementary to an off- campus Evacuation Site, we have the following agreements:

Evacuation Site: Galaxy Middle School Alternate Evacuation Site: Deltona Lakes Elementary (Busing required) Media Meeting Location: (as needed): Deltona Maintenance Facilities Evacuation to Galaxy Middle School • Timbercrest Elementary will walk by class to Galaxy Middle School to our predetermined holding area until

parents are able to be contacted for dismissal. • A ConnectEd message will be sent out to all Timbercrest families. • Satellite lunches will be sent from Galaxy Middle School’s School Way Café. In the event Galaxy Middle School cannot assist with lunches, Deltona Lakes Elementary will be contacted to assist. • Timbercrest’s nurse will assist with all students’ medical needs. • Parents of Timbercrest students will be directed to the parking lot of Galaxy Middle School or Deltona

Maintenance Facilities. All Timbercrest office and support staff will assist with dismissal procedures. • ALL emergency cards will be taken to the evacuation site to verify parents’ identification for check-out. • Mrs. McKinney/Mr. Tidmarsh will serve as CBE Communication Leader handling media requests. • Once all Timbercrest students have checked out, Timbercrest staff will meet in the media center for a

debriefing of the day’s events and further plans of action for the following school day. If Our Alternate Evacuation Site Is Needed: • In the event, we need to be evacuated away from the immediate area and Galaxy Middle School is not

deemed safe we will be bused to Deltona Lakes Elementary. • All procedures will remain the same except student check outs will be from the Cafeteria at Deltona Lakes

Elementary, and the parent staging area will be at the Media Center at the Deltona Lakes or Deltona Maintenance Facilities (as needed).

• Teachers will assist by riding busses to the alternate evacuation site.

BUS STOP SAFETY Students need to stand in a safe place for the bus at least ten feet off the roadway, wait until it comes to a complete stop and the driver signals to enter. Students should always be on their best behavior while waiting for the bus.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS OF

KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE BUS STUDENTS

If your kindergartener or first grade student rides the bus, please stand at the bus stop and/or get out of your car when the school bus arrives in the afternoon. This is a Transportation safety procedure to help ensure that these students are dismissed from the bus to a person on the approved list you provided. We appreciate your assistance with the safety of our students.

BUS BRACELETS FOR ALL BUS RIDERS

Please make sure the color bus bracelet distributed the first week of school to bus students for backpacks remains on their backpacks throughout the year. This safety procedure helps ensure all students get on the correct bus. The Front Office has additional bracelets if one is lost.

Dear Families,

Welcome back to another wonderful year at Timbercrest Elementary School! The start of every school year is an exciting time for each one of us. We have been working very hard to prepare for the arrival of our students. As the new principal at Timbercrest I have already discovered what an amazing place this is; a place where faculty, staff, and families all work together to assure student success. We have a faculty and staff who always put students first. Their hearts and minds are dedicated to teaching and helping our students feel challenged, encouraged, and excited as they learn. Your children are attending a warm and friendly school. We are dedicated to maintaining high standards for student learning and behavior. Our goal is to help your children be successful in school and acquire the skills necessary to be successful in life. I look forward to getting to know you and your children as the year progresses. Respectfully, Kimberley P. McKinney Principal Timbercrest Elementary ext. 41406

VISITORS ON CAMPUS In order to continue to promote safety and security at Timbercrest, please remember that parents and visitors need to check in and out at the front office with their driver’s license. Photo I.D. is required in order for office personnel to issue a visitor’s badge that must be visible and worn at all times. Faculty and staff stop any visitors without proper identification and those individuals are then escorted to the office.

Younger siblings are welcomed on campus, but must be secured in strollers at all times. Due to fire code and safety regulations, siblings would not be permitted: To go into classrooms To eat lunch in the cafeteria To be left unattended at any time

YOUR PTA

Welcome Back Timbercrest Tiger Families! PTA would like to welcome everyone back to school. We are looking forward to a great year filled with fun

events!! Please join us for our first Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A on August 29th from 4:30-7:30pm.

Any questions or ideas? Visit our Facebook page for upcoming events.

www.facebook.com/timbercrestpta/

MONDAY Breakfast-Breakfast Taco; Cereal; Cinnamon Toast Lunch-Iron Nuggets; Ham & Cheese Salad w/Roll; PBJ; Chz Stix w/Roll

TUESDAY Breakfast-Yogurt; Cereal; Cinnamon Toast Lunch-Chessy Filled Breadsticks, Chicken Nuggets & Cheese Salad w/Roll; PBJ; Chz Stix w/Roll

WEDNESDAY Breakfast– Pancake Sausage Wrap; Cereal; Cinnamon Toast Lunch-Ravioli, Popcorn Chx & Chz Salad w/Roll, PBJ; Chz Stix w/Roll

THURSDAY Breakfast-Ham,Egg & Chz/Sausage, Egg & Chz Croissant; Cereal; Cinnamon Toast Lunch-Kickin’ Chx Minis/Chx Sandwich, Ham & Cheese Salad w/Roll, PBJ; Chz Stix w/Roll

FRIDAY Breakfast– French Toast Sticks; Cereal; Cinnamon Toast Lunch– Pizza (Cheese or Pepperoni) Ham & Cheese Salad, PBJ; Chz Stix w/Roll

Parents we know you are busy and need to get to work in a timely manner. In order to expedite the flow of traffic in the loop, please remember these procedures:

• Please pull as far forward as possible to unload your passengers. Stopping halfway slows the traffic line and is not polite to your neighbors trying to hurry and get to work.

• Please stop in front of the crosswalk when the stop sign is facing you. It is against the law for a vehicle to be in the crosswalk at the same time as a pedestrian regardless of which side of the crosswalk they are in. It is also against the law to run a stop sign and the crossing guard will change the sign as soon as she knows it is safe for all.

• Students will not be allowed to cross the crosswalk in the parent loop without an accompanying adult. Students will not be allowed to cross the crosswalk from the parent loop parking lot into the interior of campus without an adult. At dismissal, students will not cross the blue line before the crosswalk that leads to the parent loop parking lot until an adult crosses and picks the student(s) up.

• Please remember to refrain from using a cell phone while driving in the loop. The safety of many precious lives is dependent on giving full attention to driving safely in this area.

CHANGING THE WAY HOME

Changes for students “How We Go Home” from school are to be communicated to the teacher and office in advance, except in the case of emergency. Changes can only be made by parents or a guardian. Students must go home as designated and documented by the teacher, unless the parent has followed the procedures below. In the event that a student must go home a different way, students may ONLY be released to someone other than a parent or guardian with written notice, and with the parent/guardian placing the person on the student’s emergency card prior to the event. Please remind your child(ren) that they are to go home only as you have arranged for them previously as their parent/ guardian. Thank you again for your support to insure our children’s safety.

STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT Students receive a copy of the Code of Student Conduct each school year, and students’ families are required to sign off on its contents. If you did not receive a copy, please send a note to your child’s teacher. After you have read it, please sign and return it.

FREE BREAKFAST School Way Café will be offering free

breakfasts to all students the entire school year. School lunch prices will remain the same.

VOLUSIA COUNTY SCHOOL CALENDAR 2017-2018

August 14 (Monday) First Day of School for Students

September 1 (Friday) Prof. Development Day/Student Holiday

September 4 (Monday) Labor Day Holiday

October 16 (Monday) Teacher Duty Day/Student Holiday

November 10 (Friday) Veterans Day Holiday

November 21 (Tuesday) Thanksgiving Holiday Begins - End of Day

November 27 (Monday) Classes Resume

December 20 (Wednesday) Winter Holiday Begins - End of Day

December 21 (Thursday) Teacher Duty Day/Student Holiday

January 8 (Monday) Classes Resume

January 15 (Monday) Martin Luther King’s Birthday Holiday

February 19 (Monday) Presidents’ Day Holiday

March 8 (Thursday) Spring Holiday Begins - End of Day

March 9 (Friday) Teacher Duty Day

March 19 (Monday) Classes Resume

May 28 (Monday) Memorial Day Holiday

May 30 (Wednesday) Last Day of School for Students

June 1 (Friday) Last Day of School for Teachers

Early Release: Aug. 23, 30, Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 29,

Dec. 6, 13, 20